title: Increased ventral striatal volume in college-aged binge drinkers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Binge drinking is a serious public health issue associated with cognitive, physiological, and anatomical differences from healthy individuals. No studies, however, have reported subcortical grey matter differences in this population. To address this, we compared the grey matter volumes of college-age binge drinkers and healthy controls, focusing on the ventral striatum, hippocampus and amygdala.
  
  
  METHODS
  T1-weighted images of 19 binge drinkers and 19 healthy volunteers were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry. Structural data were also covaried with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores. Cluster-extent threshold and small volume corrections were both used to analyze imaging data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Binge drinkers had significantly larger ventral striatal grey matter volumes compared to controls. There were no between group differences in hippocampal or amygdalar volume. Ventral striatal, amygdalar, and hippocampal volumes were also negatively related to AUDIT scores across groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings stand in contrast to the lower ventral striatal volume previously observed in more severe forms of alcohol use disorders, suggesting that college-age binge drinkers may represent a distinct population from those groups. These findings may instead represent early sequelae, compensatory effects of repeated binge and withdrawal, or an endophenotypic risk factor.
authors.affiliation: Toronto Western Research Institute, Division of Brain Imaging and Behaviour - Systems Neuroscience, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada ; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Howell
authors.forename: Yulia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Worbe
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tait
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irvine
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Banca
authors.forename: Neil A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Edward T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Bullmore
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Hutchison
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Voon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology*; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D055815:Young Adult